Cook Named to Academic All-America Third Team

TOWSON, Md. – Amherst College right-hander Bob Cook ’13 was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division III Baseball Third Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Wednesday, adding another prestigious accolade to his impressive postseason haul.

One day after earning a spot on the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) D-III All-Star team, Cook was honored for his combined excellence in the classroom and on the playing field. The 2013 NESCAC Pitcher of the Year joins third-team pick Andrew Yin of Wesleyan and first-teamer Scott Staniewicz of Tufts as the conference’s representatives on the three-team, 34-person list.

A native of Winnetka, Ill., Cook’s selection to the team comes after a magnificent senior season in which the co-captain and three-time All-Conference pick led Amherst to its first NESCAC title since 2005 as well as a pair of wins at the NCAA New York Regional Tournament. He is the first member of the baseball program to earn the award since Neal Allar garnered a third-team selection in 2008.

After collecting 2012 NESCAC Player of the Year honors for his combined success on the mound and at the plate, Cook had an even stronger pitching season in 2013, taking home the league’s top hurler award. His 0.95 earned run average (ERA) ranked second across all of Division III while his walks-plus-hits per innings pitched (WHIP) figure of 0.77 tied for first.

With 39 strikeouts and only eight walks over 66.2 innings, Cook owned a 5-2 record, notably taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning of an April 5 win over Middlebury. In his final career start on May 16, he earned a complete game victory, allowing just five hits and two earned runs over nine as he led Amherst to a 6-3 upset of nationally third-ranked SUNY Cortland.

A rare dual threat on the mound and at the plate, Cook often played first base when not pitching in 2013, leading the Lord Jeffs with a .368 batting average and .484 on-base percentage over 94 plate appearances. In addition to his pitching performance in the Cortland win, the senior went 3-for-3 out of the cleanup spot with a walk, stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI. He was also red-hot during the NESCAC playoffs, going 7-for-12 with five runs scored during the three-game title run.

Having graduated in mathematics, Cook will return to Amherst for the 2013-14 academic year, serving as an assistant football and baseball coach after earning the Athletic Department’s Hitchcock Fellowship.